1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a multi-directional input device capable of actuating a switch by pushing and tilting an operating lever.
2. Description of Related Art
By referring to FIGS. 17 to 19, a conventional multi-directional input device will be explained. On the inside bottom surface of a housing 1 there are arranged a stationary contact 2 and a common contact 3, and are formed a moving contact plate 4 and a push switch S1.
Above the moving contact plate 4, there is provided a guide portion 5 having a cantilever type pushing portion 5a. A rubber elastic body 6 is mounted on the pushing portion 5a, so that the pushing portion 5a may be operated by the operating lever 14 through the rubber elastic body 6.
The open end of the housing 1 is closed with a cover 7 which is provided with a plurality of stationary contacts 10 embedded in the underside thereof. On the cover 7 a connecting member 9 is fitted to thereby attach the cover 7 to the housing 1.
Inside of the housing 1, there is disposed a moving contact plate 11 made of a metal plate. Between the moving contact plate 11 and the inside bottom surface of the housing 1 a coil spring 12 is interposed to thereby elastically hold, during a normal operation, the moving contact plate 11 in contact with the stationary contact 10. Thus the coil spring 12 electrically connects the moving contact plate 11 with the common contact 3, so that the group of the stationary contacts 10 and the moving contact place 11 form eight tilting switches S2.
The moving contact plate 11 is embedded in the moving member 13, which is inclinably fitted in a through hole 7a of the cover 7.
The operating lever 14 which can be pushed and inclined is projecting out at the upper portion through the through hole 13a of the moving member 13, and is engaged at the lower portion with the moving member 13 and in contact with the rubber elastic body 6.
Next, operation of a conventional multi-directional input device will be explained. When the operating lever 14 is in neutral position shown in FIG. 17, the moving contact plate 4 in the push switch S1 is off the stationary contact 2; that is, the contact is in OFF position. In the case of the tilting switch S2, the moving contact plate 11 is in contact with all of the stationary contacts 10; that is, all of the contacts are in the ON position.
When the operating lever 14 is tilted from the neutral position in an arbitrary direction, for instance in a direction shown in FIG. 18, the moving contact plate 11 rotates on the stationary contact 10 as a support located on the opposite side in the direction of tilting, off from other stationary contacts 10; therefore, the tilting switch S2 corresponding to the stationary contact 10 as a support remains in the ON position, while the other tilting switches S2 are turned to the OFF position.
With the tilting operation of the operating lever 14, the lower end of the operating lever 14 pushes the moving contact plate 4 into contact with the stationary contact 2 via the rubber elastic body 6 and the pushing portion 5a, thus switching the push switch S1 from the OFF to the ON position.
When the operating lever 14 is raised from the tilted position, the moving contact plate 1 is moved back to its original position by the force of the coil spring 12. The operating lever 14, therefore, returns to its neutral position shown in FIG. 17 and all of the eight tilting switches S2 are reset to the ON position.
Also the rubber elastic body 6, the pushing portion 5a, and the moving contact plate 4 recover with because of their own respective elasticities; the moving contact plate 4 moves away from the stationary contact 2, thus resetting the push switch S1 to the OFF position.
The input device operates similarly when the operating lever 14 is tilted in a different direction than FIG. 18.
Next, the operating lever 14, when axially pushed from neutral position in FIG. 17, is guided by the through hole 13a of the moving member 13, and moves downwardly thus pushing the moving contact plate 4 through the rubber elastic body 6 and the pushing portion 5a.
In this case, the moving contact plate 11 and the moving member 13 do not remain in contact, and therefore the tiling type switch S2 set to the OFF position; when the moving contact plate 4 has come into contact with the stationary contact 2, the push switch S1 flips from OFF to ON.
When the operating lever 14 is released from the pushing operation, the rubber elastic body 6, the pushing portion 5a, and the moving contact plate 4 are reset because of their respective elasticities. Since the moving contact plate 4 no longer contacts the stationary contact 2, the push switch S1 also is set to OFF again.
In the multi-directional input device of the above-described constitution, when the stationary contact 2 and the stationary contact 10 group for example are connected to a microcomputer, the microcomputer can detect the direction in which the operating lever 14 is tilted and pushed, in accordance with ON/OFF signals between the stationary contacts 2 and 10.
The conventional multi-directional input device is of such a configuration that in normal operation the tilting switch S2 is in ON position; in this state, therefore, the operating lever 14 can not easily be pushed in the axial direction, and there are times when the operator is required to push the operating lever 14 a little obliquely, operating the tilting switch S2 by mistake, which will result in misoperation of the input device.